BROOMFIELD -- The man killed by police Thursday morning in the Aspen Creek neighborhood was pointing an Airsoft gun at officers before he was shot, his family said.

Kyle Miller, 21, was shot by Broomfield police after pointing a gun at officers. The family said they warned police that the gun was a plastic Airsoft gun.

"I did everything I could, everything I knew was right to do, to try and stop it," said his mother, Cheryl Miller.

The family had called 911 early that morning because Kyle Miller had a knife and was trying to harm himself, she said. Miller struggled with schizoaffective bipolar disorder, which was a factor in him recently losing his job as an EMT. His mother said the disappointment caused him to hurt himself.

Broomfield Police Chief Thomas Deland said the department cannot release more information because the investigation is ongoing.

"Legally, I'm not permitted, nor are any of my staff, to comment," he said.

The Adams/Broomfield Critical Incident Team is conducting an independent investigation of the incident. The involved officers were placed on administrative leave, which is a standard policy, Deland said.

Deland planned to meet with the officers Friday to determine when they will return to duty, based on his evaluation of the officers and that of a police psychologist.

Cheryl Miller said she does not bear ill will toward the officers who shot her son.

"No one goes to work in the morning wanting to shoot someone," she said.

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Yet she said the tragic situation highlights the need for a change in how law enforcement and the general public respond to mental illness issues. Police had come to their house several times before and were familiar with her son's mental health background, she said. Her younger son, who called 911 Thursday morning, had clearly told dispatchers that Miller had a gun that was a plastic toy, not a weapon, she said.

"The system is broken. It's just broken," she said.

She added that the family had pushed to hospitalize Miller on several occasions because of self-destructive behavior, but the Boulder mental health center had not recommended it.

Barbara Ryan, CEO of Mental Health Partners, which serves Boulder and Broomfield counties, said she could not comment on Miller's health background because of privacy rules, or even confirm he sought treatment there.

"We can say that we assess these kinds of situations very carefully," she said.

Family friend Virginia Ward said the Millers repeatedly sought to find the best treatment for their son.

"I've known Kyle for well over 10 years," Ward said. "He was not a mentally deranged man. The family did everything they could to save his life. There is no way Kyle was a threat to the community."

Cheryl Miller said her son was a dedicated Christian who felt drawn to those who struggled. He often handed out small porcelain frogs to homeless people and asked to pray with them. The frogs symbolized the acronym "Fully Rely On God."

He also involved at Flatirons Community Church, where he was a youth leader for several years.

"Kyle was so loving and compassionate, and always aware of those around him," she said. "He wanted to help the outcasts because he knew he was one of them."

Ward said Miller was the best friend to her 21-year-old son, John, who has a rapidly worsening form of muscular dystrophy.

"It's a very significant challenge, and Kyle never turned away from that," she said.

Kyle Miller had recently completed training at Front Range Community College to become an EMT. It was his life's dream to have that job, his mother said.

Yet depression and mental illness got in the way once he was hired this spring as an EMT in the south-metro area. He and his supervisor agreed the job was not a fit for him after just three weeks, she said.

"I think that is where he lost all hope," she said. "He had a choice to drop the gun, but he was in a tormented place mentally."

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